Triangle sound very dynamic, clear and engaging. The Borea series is most fun I ever had with budget speakes. Pair ist with the right stereo amp (not AV receiver) and you will be surprised what is possibe in this price range.
Triangle sounds more natural and clear. Wharfedale is too warm for my taste, sounds far away and distant, non-engaging. Thanks, this is helping me narrow down my choices.
After I researched long and hard for warm and laid back pair of speakers I had great anticipation for Wharfedale diamond 225 and it did not disappoint when it arrived.
The Triangles sounded much more open and dynamic, and with more impact. However, they do sound a little to sibilant. Shame that the highs are not just a tiny bit more rolled off
Interesting view. Based on the demo here alone, the Triangles are more engaging and detailed, without getting bright. Not considering the price, I would pick the 225 around 30 years ago when all my collection was crappy copies on cassette, as they seem more forgiving!
I am sure that this two speakers (BR03 and Diamond 225) are very good both of them. But we must pair them with right amp, preamp, room etc. And, this is another important aspect, we must pair with personal subjective preference also! Otherwise they will sound worst for us! For exemple I went to the local hi fi market and listen many kind of speakers: warm, natural warm, natural bright and bright. I chose a warm one because my personal preference! My subjective choice it was this wharfedale 225. For exemple, when I was in this maket the bright/natural speaker was Monitor Audio silver 100. A good speaker but not my taste (too bright for me). At home, first try, I put this Wharfedale on Marantz 1506 receiver. The sound it was very bottomed because both the speaker and the receiver it was on the warm signature side and the sound result was very dull! But, when I added in this chain the Emotiva bass x 300 power amp, the same Wharfedale speakers became alive (booom!!!). Sound got a volum, dynamic, bass has more power and vitality, it was like a have a subwoofer in the room (but not the most clearest bass I ever heard-you can't have them all :) ). And even the high frecvency become more rafinet and more like "in front of you"! They become another speakers after I pair them with Emotiva 150w power!!! If you have this Wharfedale must pair with a muscle and dynamic amp, not just because their poor 87db sensitivity but for their strong personality and signature in sound! Do Not use a warm signature amp with this speakers, only if you want to boil your room atmosphere :) !!!! This is my system chain and impressions not in order of importance: 1 17 square meters irregular room, more like a "D" shape, 3.10m high, with lot of open doors! This is one on the most important part of my system chain which has the greatest impact on sound, this is a given... 2 Laptop with hdmi cable for preamp 3 Preamp Marantz 1506 (too warm with no detail, but very musical and delicate) 4 Amp Emotiva BassX 300 (muscular amp with natural sound, extraordinary atack and aggressivity) 5 QED XT40 cables (no comment) 6 Speakers stands full with sand (for robustness of bass) 7 Wharfedale Diamond 225 60cm from the wall, 190cm beetwen them (very easy to listen speaker with warm signature and top design) 8 and my hi fi ears :) a very personal and subjective piece of gear...most important part of the chain :) I am very satisfied with this "hi fi chain" with a well balanced sound, with a warmth character just the way I like it!
Ok, listening to the original track on a pair of ELAC Debut Ref. DBR 62's to the original soundtrack for comparison, and the recording above: The Triangles sound more 'realistic' in the treble, with better instrument separation. The Wharfedales have better bass and dynamics, and the midrange seems more 'integrated', since the treble is slightly rolled off. The flute at the end of the demo really shows the difference: It sounds really harsh and loud on the Triangles, and much smoother and natural on the Wharfedales; given the fact that this is an in-room recording, where most of the sound is lost, I think the Triangles can get bright and fatiguing, at least in in this comparison. Myself, I never had any luck with 'revealing' speakers, they always end up bothering me during long and/or loud listening sessions - YMMV. If I had to pick between the two pairs, I would choose the Wharfedales, since they will be more compatible with a wide range of sources of different quality, and will play louder without killing my ears. Thx Tharbamar - very helpful review, as always.
These Triangle people are never going to send you another product to review . Thank you for your honest review . I trust ur channel the most to all the many reviewers I have been watching . You know all the top ones on who are doing reviews these days .
I own the Triangle Bro3. I think they sound amazing. Very detailed, great sounds stage, excellent clean bass. In truth I enjoy them more than the Buchardt s400 which I returned. It is the tonality that makes these speakers so special. I can't wait to play music through these speakers everyday. Non fatiguing.
@Thomas Zielinski Hi Thomas. I have never heard the Totem rainmakers. Stereophile has an excellent review on them. The review is fairly glowing. The Totems are almost double the price and their build quality is better than the Triangle Bro3s. The Triangles for $549 are just so much fun and I like to rotate them into my listening room. You have an incredible amp so I'm thinking you want a speaker that would better match it's capability. If you have the budget I think you should be looking at speakers $1,000 or more just my thinking. Sometimes the best part is the search for something special for you. Thomas's channel does a great job of categorizing different types of speakers and his input could be helpful to you. I love the sound of the paper cones on the Triangles Bro3s, the tonality is amazing for the price the technology today is flattening the cost to quality curve. I hope this helps.
@@davidmlevitt Paper Cone midrange makes all the difference. I listened to 75 brands and Triangle win for me. They are also better french brand than Focal. Oh, but I also love the Tribal Totem Tower a lot, but Totem Acoustics brand are too expensive for me.
I think it's pretty obvious you dislike the BR03s because you find every way to bash them. Why keep reviewing them at this point? Before I purchased the BR03s I had a set of Elac 6.2s and despite the smooth and a slight warmer presentation I was looking for a tad more sparkle and air on the upper mids and highs but not overly bright. The Triangles are perfect! They also tend to sound better after quite some time of settling in as well. Very natural sounding but at the same time fun and engaging without fatiguing. They are worth their price to me even though it is true that the build quality of the vinyl veneer is not that great. From your comparison I'm pretty sure the 225s sound similar to the Elacs which in my case wasn't for me. Also it's a bit confusing that you prefer the laid back sound of the 225s with a boomier bass but then you recommended the Klipsch RP-600M? Those are considerably much brighter than the BR03s. Measurements don't really tell the whole story.
RP600M is not brighter, Diamond 225 was not boomier, ELAC B6.2 was not laid back at all, it was a little bright for me, it’s all depends on pairing components and taste. BR03 is just overpriced ok sounding speakers, nothing special for me, so to each of own, if you like it that’s good but not everyone have same taste, if you think honestly expressed opinion was bashing the product? Try paid reviews they will make everyone happy.
Thanks for the comparisons ...even with the you tube compression , I found the triangles much more realistic of sound reproduction .. the 220s sounded kinda boomy and muffled in the lower end... instrument separation was better with the triangles as well for these ears, thanks again I enjoy your videos👍
The spacer works but if you go too high bass notes will lose definition. I did it to my D220`s and had to just use small thick metal washers for a slight difference the plastic spacers used here were too tall for D220. This series of Diamonds shine for their midrange voicing. And you can listen all day with zero fatigue as they are very flat throughout compared to most in this price range. The boom you are hearing is in the recording, the lower bass the D225 exhibited in the sound freq test you could hear come in at a much lower freq. The Bro3 just stops it`s low end at the kick spot so sound tighter. That same kick spot is also present in the D225. Listen again. Just bought the D225`s they are still available and being sold, at a bargain price so I get to do it again.
Diamond 225s are still a golden example in their class after all these years - still hard to beat. They're bettered by 11.2s, true, but that's another class both in performance and price range.
I own the Diamond 11.2 for a secondary setup, but the 12 series are the current bar standard. The Wharfedale Evo 4.1 is in my opinion one to look for to be fully satisfied. I own the 4.2 and when I would replace the diamonds it would be for the Evo 4.1. Both the 4.1 and 4.2 are definite purchases for an average home.
@@Beathoven007 Diamomd 12.2 just didn't hit it with me. Prefer more balanced warmer notes of 11.2, so that's what I stuck with. I am also a visual guy and 11.2 just projects a slightly higher level of opulence and sophisticated design detail, hardly found in this more pedestrian class of speakers. This is all however very subjective, what works for some doesn't for others. Great to be able to have the option to choose, though. Evo's are different class altogether, both componentry and quality-wise, likely to come with slightly subtler, more upper class sound profile too. Cheers.
Wharfdales were tested and measured, flat frequency response with grill off . Whatever you play on them is will be what’s on the recording, no coloration or enhancements like the other speakers.
Nice comparison. At 12.41 wf 225 give you that "umph" lower bass kick very distinguish,always compared to Borea BR03.Transition shifts are way better.Also fills the room with sound very easily with great mids and relaxing highs without beeing bright,ear fatigue or harsh.The difference in build quality is obvious, in favor of wf225.Multi award-winning speakers from many websites and magazines as best speaker until 1000$.Vote for wf225.
I bought 225 a long time ago, after your first review) I took them apart, there are features: the surface under the woofer is varnished, but there are sharp bumps that prevent the speaker from being pressed tightly, they need to be sanded with sandpaper) the woofer itself seems to have a plastic basket! ! I haven’t seen such a thing yet ... but overall the sound is very pleasant, my room has the lowest bass, a great mid, sometimes the highest frequencies are not enough, maybe this is due to the characteristics of my audio system ...
Tharbamar, I’m so glad I came across this review. I was about to purchase the Triangles but based on your comparison here and other glowing reviews I went with the Wharfedale 225’s. I was hoping to be able to use your link below but It didn’t take me to the right product page unfortunately.
I hear the Triangle seems to have a bit more dynamic reach, and the highs are more prominent. The Wharfedale seems a bit muddy even with a slight better bass definition. Great job on the comparison.
@@phantasm1004 Possibly, he summarized my opinion on the little brothers of the two, the D220 and BR02. I like the triangles a lot better than the d220 especially when it comes to vocals, d220 sounds muddy and unfocused.
@@daniel1233 the 225 is a quite different from the 220... It has a bigger bass driver, and they are pretty amazing. I got them recently and have paired them with a NAD 3020 and the sound is just phenomenal
Judging speakers in other peoples wildly different sounding rooms and setups via youtube videos is audiophoolery of the highest order. I had the Diamond 225 but got very bored fast... smooth and inoffensive are all well and good but the drive and rhythm in music through them is flattened to dullness. I have a set of Triangles with my Chora 806 and Wharf Evo4.1. The Chora 806 are the best balanced of the three but the Triangle is FUN and exciting, the Evo 4.1 being again abit flat and dull albeit with better treble than the Diamond. The BR03 isnt bright or harsh at all unless your room and amp emphasize the upper ranges which clearly from the measurements Tharmabars room does... hell even a Wharfedale ends up tipped up on measurment lol. The room is clearly very lively and thats why the duller flatter speaker sounds more likable perhaps. In my well furnished, carpeted and acoustically dead room the Wharfedale bores where the Traingle entertains. Also the Triangle works a treat with as little as a 10w 300b tube amp. At their prices the Triangle and Focal entry level ranges cannot be touched for sound only beaten for build.... you are getting proper in house driver units and engineering for peanuts.
I picked up a pair of the bro03 and I am running them on a emotiva ta1 integrated amp..and boy do the triangle sound great and found the B&W 606 anniversary edition way to bright much brighter then bro3 and the bro3 haven’t been broken in yet..
Interesting to get completely different options on the triangles, depending on reviewer . Looks like, as with anything, must try yourself! I’m thinking the Triangles, with forgiving tube gear, would be the more interesting sounding speakers with movies and dynamic music
Thanks for posting - great review! I appreciate your descriptions comparing these brands. I would give the edge to the Triangles as the boomy low end of the Wharfedales was a bit distracting and slow, as you mentioned in the review.
Triangle is better in terms of detail (focus on the rattle sound) and sub-bass (11:12-35). Thks for the demo Pls demo the triangle Titus EZ and Comète EZ, thks
it bottoms down to personal preference and electronic matching, base on the vid borea not bright but just because if its upper mid forward character it seems bright, needs to be matched w/ warmer electronics, I believe Denon amps don't have that character, while wharfedales are a bit warmer due to upper highs recessed and not so upfront in character, it needs to be matched with amps that have good authority a neutral character to shine it out, so synergy is the bottomline. Both speakers are good in their respective price range
Disagree, it is bright, my b&w 706 S2 @100+dB sounds much warmer than BR03 at 85db. If you look at the graph D225 even have slightly more forward character than BR03, FYI, my recording is only about 65% of actual sound quality. Have you listened to Denon PMA-SX11? If not then stop judging the product without actual experience, I’m sharing my experience with honest advice, BR03 not worth the money it’s just contract manufacturer cheap product.
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Honestly the dimond 225 reminds me alot of the hd650 down to the 3 blob effect and the warm muddy lack of clearity and dark. Maybe simpler jazz and lazy rock would be better to show the strengths of the dimond 225 over the epic soundtrack which favours the BR03 for its control imaging and layering.
listening the video, it seems the warefedale over interprating the bass medium! The triangle are clear with a certain limitation, but very clear and clean.
I've noticed this is a consistent description of the Triangles and ELAC vs others that have deeper bass. There's more control and, more importantly, the tonality is impressive.
Thank you for the great reviews and appreciate your RU-vid channel.. I was looking for a really great Bookself and after seeing this Comparison with the BRO3’s I decided to order the Warfedale 225’s..super excited and also will try your suggested changes with the plate and wires.. Keep up the good work!!!
@@Tharbamar received the speakers yesterday and I was amazed by the musicality and the quality…even the black cabinets are veneer!!! Stunning and the sound stage and imaging is Tommy liking. Treble and mid range is vantastic bass is great and will do your recommend modification which I see this will make a difference on certain musical pieces on the bass..even at that I can’t get over how great they sound Huff another HiFi reviewer is also spot on about the 225’s for price I think you have to exceed 1000 to find something that would be better… Again personal choices a must try!!!! Thanks so much for doing the review
Triangle is way better. Diamond is unable to follow complex music, sounds thin, un-involved, at times chaotic. Probably with simple (2 to 3 instruments) music Diamond would shine too?
It's all about associating with the right amplification! My Diamond 225 became more dynamic, transparent and captivating when I paired it with 150w amplification. Realy great speaker! But if I put it back on a 50w amplifier it sounds thin and muffed... Triangle it is more forgiving with low power amplification than Diamond because it is more sensitive speaker (90db vs 86-87 db)
I intended to get an additional pair of Wharfedale Diamond 225 speakers for my entertainment center but they are now discontinued in the US and no longer available. Apparently they were replaced with the Diamond 12.2 speakers which appear to be differently constructed and the bass system is also very different. Do you think my entertainment system would sound good if I ordered the new 12.2 speakers and used them as my front speakers, and moved my 225 speakers and used them as my rear speakers? I do not think you have reviewed the 12.2 speakers yet. Do you think they will be as good as the 225 speakers? Thanks in advance for any comments or suggestions.
Diamond 225 have made an amazing impression with you, Tharbamar, right? I can get them in my country at about 200USD/180EUR. I am afraid, however, they will not match my expectations in terms of highs. They seem to be really laid back and warm sounding. Am I right?
At this moment JBL Studio 530 is on sale in the US for 239USD, which is better buy than 225 with more dynamic and realistic sound, may be you can add a sub or two later.
3:17 I'm thinking these speakers being so similar with there ups and downs are in indication test setup is a factor in the results. those are huge resonance dips you got there...
Wharfdales sound so recessed and muffled. Triangles much more open. I hate that veiled type of sound, so Triangles sounds much better to me personally this demo.
OT. Some albums off the beaten path. 1 Huun-Huur-Tu - Orphan's Lament 2 These Trails - These Trails - 1973 3 Bonnie Dobson Good Morning Rain 4 Amadou & Mariam Dimanche a Bamako 5 John Renbourn...Sir John Alot 6 Johnny Lytle The Loop 7 Harvey Mandel - Cristo Redentor 8 Vince Guaraldi Trio A Charlie Brown Christmas 9 Ry Cooder & Vishwa Mohan Bhatt - A Meeting by the River 10 The Pentangle The Pentangle I have a habit of listening my music through iem from my DAP when I take my usual afternoon nap. There are about 6000 albums in my 2 TB music library so some time I listen to albums I never listen before. Twice it happened to me to wake up to the omg what a treat, refering to albums 6 and 7.Enjoy your music not your gear.
Get the new Diamond 11.2 and compare them to the 225. Also get the 11.5 and review them. How they compare to Klipsch 8000F. I am building a new home theater system and if I buy Diamond I save 1000€ over Klipsch RP series. Also consider the new Evo 4.2 and 4.4 for review. The Evo speakers should be 2 steps above and they cost me the same as Klipsch RP system.
Before composing my system, I listened to both 11.2 and 225 on the same Marantz amplifier. The 11.2 sounded thinner then the 225, with more emphasis on the higher frequencies and less "body" to the sound. If you prefer more clinical listening go for the 11.2, otherwise the 225 is the more musical IMO.
I had the PSB P5's and thought they were really bright and harsh, I swapped them for the Diamond 220's, much better but I often wish for more bass. I have my bass turned up slightly on the amp for the 220's.
Your sound clip, plus your description, have convinced me to buy the wharfedale d225. On it's way to me, will update you. Your dedication to this hobby is... beyond words. I wonder, would you be willing to sell me a pair of your DIY interconnects of speaker cables?
Hi Tharbamar, thank u for this great review and measurements ! PS: Did u had the chance to audition Diamond 11.2 or maybe compare the 225 with the 11.2 in the near future or even Evo 4.1/2 ? I Had 11.2 but i didnt had 225, im curious how do they compare, i heard 11.2 is more laid-back than 225 and have a bit better low end and wider soundstage.
Love the wd225. If nothing els for the soft but deatailed sound. No harshness. No ear fatigueing. But wd225 lacks a bit in speed. You will notice this if you play real dens and sound wall type of music like Dave Mathius band live with 20 musichans on speed. A tube amp might improve this problem. But many low sens speakers strugle with woffer speed. Tweek tip on wd225 ; bi wire or replace plate bridge with real speaker wire. If bi wire use thick cable for low and small for hi. Bi wire worked for me even thou I didn't belived in it... Easy to try anyway. Also try and make the space wider between the base plate and the cabinet. I doubled the spacing and it opend up the sound. You can order bigger spacers from Wharfedale but most plastic rings or bit of tube will work.
All you need is high current amplifier tube or solid state, I never felt they need more speed with my amps except with the AVR, I have many different speakers including KEF LS50, B&W 706 S2, Quad S2, Wharfedale Evo 4.2 etc but when is come to entry level comparison I always going back to D225 or PSB P5. It’s a good speaker for what it is, all it need is to pair with high current amplifier. By the way I'm the one that started with higher spacers for D225, here is my video. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vT3kMn2S5R4.html
D225 are really great bang for the buck speakers. I actually prefer the diamond 225 even over the newer more advanced and more expensive wharfedale evos. Ive had both.
thanks for starting to apply the measurements! keep growing! measurements are very important with such a variety of speakers and they allow you to more objectively evaluate the sound. ps. next wharf 225 vs revel m16 )
You decided to keep the Diamond 225 as your budget speaker over the Denton 80th? I thought you mentioned before that you thought the Denton's were better, but I might be wrong. For sure the build quality/fit and finish of the Denton 80th is superior to both Diamond 225 and Borea BR03, probably better than anything at $600 price point and below (nicest veneer). But I can understand if you want warmer, fuller, more laidback sound to pick Diamond 225, it is a very musical sounding speaker.
thanks for the review. Your dedication to the sound demo... is so valuable. I'm wondering what would you recommend - that you think performs better than the wharfedale d225 at around that price range? thank you for making time for me.
Thanks for this awesome comparison, my next request please review Mission QX-2 and compare to them, because QX-2 have so good review at AV forums, hifi choice and what hifi.
My dude... Borea series uses MUCH higher quality parts (Paper cone Midrange, Silk Dome Tweeter, Fiberglass woofer) not to mention they are 3-way Speaker and also their finish is much more refined. They should destroy the Diamonds that use Polypropylene Plastic woofers and normal Textile Dome tweeters and are 2-way speaker... much better / balanced comparison would be Borea vs Wharfedale Evo series
Thank you for the helpful honest comparison, I would like to know about Wharfedale EVO 4.2 in comparison with the above speakers in terms of sound stage and highs, did you try them? I can see that you appreciate speakers that have great extended high end sound (me too), evo 4.2 seams to me a ready combination of diamond 225 &Aperion tweeters in one, It will be interesting if you reviewed the EVO 4.2
Tharbama, thank YOU. Do you think it pairs well with a more cheerful, warm or neutral amp? And when you say high current you mean 140 wpc? I'm wondering do you have any experience with the Wharfedale 11.2, the specs looks the same, would you still go for D225?
Sorry it’s not about Watts, I meant good power supply is a must for sound quality, try something from Marantz PM Series etc., Neutral with a little warmer side of sound signature amps pair well with many different speakers. To be honest I have no experience with 11.2 to give you answer on that, if you just want to enjoy your music I would suggest Denton 80th speakers, which I like the most in Wharfedale two way bookshelf speakers. Thanks
D225 have better midrange and deeper Bass, P5 have top to bottom good balanced neutral sound. Both speakers do not have bright sound signature, which is why I like them both, thanks
Hey there Tharbamar. Thanks for another great video. I just have one little question if you have the time. How does the Wharfedale Diamond 225 speaker compare to the Bowers & Wilkins 606 speaker?
Hi, I like 606 for for details, attack and transparency but it can get bright with some music, D225 is more relaxed and soft yet richer engaging tonality that I can enjoy for long time, I like the vocals on D225 more than other speakers in the price range. Thanks
Great Review! I am mainly watching tv and movies on Netflix. I need something with superb vocal clarity for dialogue and intelligibility. What would you recommend?
"I have the 225, my brother has the 225 too with same setup! My brother's 225 sounds much much better than my 225! Why that? " ... The answer is hidden in our ROOMS
@@tudordoru5388 that's what I thought. I tested his triangles in my living room, where my 225s are. Triangles sound better. aesthetically speaking and from the build quality point of view, Wharfedales are better, no question.
Interesting, my experiences with the little brothers of these two have been the complete opposite. I absolutely hated the sound of the D220, found it muddy, boomy, unfocused. While the triangles have a thick and lush vocal range and natural feeling representation. Perhaps its due to a difference of music genres we listen to, or totally different tastes in speakers since I don't like B&W 607 either.
Nice comparrsion ! Stand came in today , Monoprice was quick , going to set mine up like you did , again thanks for the video ! How does the jbl 530s compare ? I love them and the 580s are killer very well phase alighned for a total of 4× 6.5 inch woofers 😆
What speakers do you personaly like? I'd like them not too bright with enough bass and a wide scene! Please, tell only 1 or 2 for the price range under 500 USD. I'm not sure what I will hear, but I'd like to buy some speakers, that I'll enjoy! What do you think about Audio Bronze 100, Borea BR03, Wharfedale Diamond 225, Klipsch RP-600M, Elac Debut Reference DBR62, Dali Oberon 3, SVS Prime Bookshelf and at what price is the next step forward!?
Please see my review of all the speaker in you list which I did review most of them, LS50 Meta, 706 S2, KEF R3 etc, are next level up for upgrade I have B&W 706 S2, Wharfedale Evo 4.2, Quad S2, CSS 1TDX Superior, Aperion V8T Concert Tower and KEF R11 speakers are my current speakers.
Hi! I love your channel and your reviews! I actually bought the Wharfedale Denton 80th because of your comparison with Kef LS50. How do the Wharfedale Diamond 225 compares with the Denton 80th? Thanks
Hi, which bookshelf speakers would you suggest best for music for up to around $700 ? I have a small room 8x8. I use the Rotel A11 Tribute amp. I have a active sub as well.
